North Carolina
Bacot: Nobody loved this school more
Armando Bacot speaks to the media after a 84-51 win over Notre Dame.
I get to win. I mean, it feels great. It means the world we haven't hung a banner in five years when it comes to AC C regular season champions. So to be able to do it, I mean, it's just a special feeling and we're all super excited. Jalen said they like to call you Ray. Uh Was that kind of in vogue tonight? Sure. I went into this game. I know I wanted to at least make 13 and the first one felt good. So I was like, I'm gonna shoot it again and with coach Davis, he's been trying to get me to shoot the ball more. I just sometimes feel like I'm, I don't wanna settle. I wanna keep pressure on the defense, but today it was good making some threes. It was kind of cool that you're last basket in this building. Uh Was it three? Yeah, exactly. That's pretty crazy. But I'll take it, you said in the, in your little video work speech that it feels like forever. Does it feel weird now to think that after 69 games in Smith Center and one in Carmichael that you're actually done with that after so much, so much of that. Yeah, I mean, it's just crazy to think like just this being my last game here and how far I've come. I mean, I didn't know I was gonna start crying. I'm just so thankful. I mean, even for you guys, I mean, through the tough times and good times, y'all have always remained professional and y'all believed in us and I mean, just everything y'all do, I'm gonna miss this part of it too. Just being able to see all your faces when we travel and being able to play in this gym. It's, it's meant the world and I, I may not have been the best place the ever play here may not have scored the most points. They did grab the most rebounds, may not have blocked the most shots. But I think in terms of players, um, nobody has loved this school more than I have and somebody will be proud of Mondo. You, you said about raising a banner, but what would it mean to have you and number up there with those? Yeah, I mean, I mean, the world and I mean, that's why I came back and um I mean, I feel good just, just stay tuned, stay tuned. Why do you think the emotions hitting you now? Because it's over? I mean, all day, I've really been just focusing on the game and even when I first got out there, the first half, really just felt weird because I'm like thinking the whole time, like, it's over and it's, it really took me a minute to settle it because I just couldn't really believe it. But to get to this point, just even thinking about where I was in my freshman year. I mean, it's just amazing. I could just remember as a freshman that summer meeting with coach Williams and just him just being so honest and telling me I needed to get better. I mean we had Deron Shark, we had Walker Kessler coming in and I feel like a lot of kids in my situation would have transferred to quit, but it just pushed me to go harder when you think about getting this extra year. It might not have been about the original plan, but as your emotions are right right here, just what does getting this extra year really mean to you. I meant the world and it just the school, this community, the fans, my teammates, everybody just stuck with me, the coaches and just so thankful to get this extra year and I mean, it's all over now but we got so much more to play for this year and that's the most encouraging part of this, you know. Yeah, he set me up as too. So I'm like, man, you had to put me on the spotlight, John to give me the white jersey. But yeah, he said because last year they gave me the blue one, I had to double scene. I, so, I mean, I'll take it though is the blue one is the one that on your wall network interviews. I mean. Yeah. Yeah, it is. I, I got that up there but I mean, I got a lot of jerseys up in my, uh, got Dennis Rodman one, Donovan mcnabb, Jalen her sign Jersey. So, what's, what's left? Obviously. I know what's left. But, you know, do you have like another gear you feel like you can even get to, to kind of really cap this off the web? I imagine you want to for sure. I mean, it's Mars now and it's another year that we all can take it to and I really feel confident in just this team and what we have and I know coming on Saturday, we all were ready to play our best game and then AC C Tourney, um NCAA Tiny, it's a lot more than this team got and we keep tightening our screws. We haven't been perfect all throughout the way, but we fought and we've always responded and we're just hungry and desperate to just keep wanting. We talked a couple of years ago, you wanted to be thought of like a Mia Hamm or Michael Jordan people who were connected to this universe. Do you feel like you've done that or do you have more to do to get to that point? I do feel like I've done that, but I think at a school like this, I mean, it's levels when you talk about Mia Hamm, Michael Jordan. I mean, you got Lawrence Taylor, uh coach Williams, um Coach Smith. I mean, they probably in the, in the VIP room in the back, but I think I'm in that next room now. I think I've got enough if I wanna. Yeah, I think I'm in the next one I, you mention in your video.